Ban against transgender athletes stands.

Transgender athletes competing in sports has always been a touchy subject. We’ve seen many instances where transgender athletes have been able to break records in a number of different sports. These occurrences have mainly taken place with male to female transgender athletes causing a major uproar.

The powerlifting community has seen this issue take center stage as USA Powerlifting was forced to answer for their decision to place a ban on transgender athletes competing in the organization. USA Powerlifting was faced with a decision to either allow transgender athlete to compete within the organization or to uphold a ban that would prevent these athletes from competing.

After much consideration, USA Powerlifting has decided to uphold the ban against transgender athletes. The National Board of Governors for the USA Powerlifting organization voted 46 to 4 to uphold the ban.

USA Powerlifting offered the below findings which helped them come to their conclusion:

The first has to do with the use of testosterone or other androgens, commonly used to assist in transition from female to male.  By virtue of the anabolic nature of these compounds, they are not allowed, nor is a Therapeutic Use Exemption granted for such use for anyone.  This applies to any and all medical conditions which might be treated through use of androgens.

The second area involves the participation of male to female competitors.  Through analysis the impact of maturation in the presence naturally occurring androgens as the level necessary for male development, significant advantages are had, including but not limited to increased body and muscle mass, bone density, bone structure, and connective tissue.  These advantages are not eliminated by reduction of serum androgens such as testosterone yielding a potential advantage in strength sports such as powerlifting.

The science behind this policy can be read in Dr Kris Hunt’s 2019 Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) Report. Dr Hunt presented this report at the National Governing Body (NGB) Meeting, his full presentation can be viewed on YouTube. (Supporting Powerpointused during NGB Meeting.)

This has caused many to make outcries of discrimination against transgender athletes.

LGBTQ organization Pull For Pride run by transgender athlete Jaycee Cooper and Breanna Diaz had this to say about USA Powerlifting upholding the ban.

 

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Today, USA Powerlifting (USAPL) voted down, 4 to 46 with one abstention, the Transgender Participation Policy Proposal. The proposal would have repealed the current ban and replaced it with a trans inclusive and affirming policy, allowing trans athletes to compete consistent with their gender identity. The proposal amends USAPL’s non-discrimination provision to include gender identity, incorporates, in part, the 2015 International Olympic Committee (IOC) Consensus Meeting on Sex Reassignment and Hyperandrogenism, provides guidelines for trans inclusion, and defines key terms. From the beginning of the National Governing Board (NGB) meeting, USAPL leadership made clear their gross misunderstanding of transgender people, healthcare, and well-being. Without any prior notification to the policy drafter and presenters, USAPL allowed Dr. Kristopher Hunt, USAPL’s TUE Committee Chair, to present a powerpoint laced with anti-transgender rhetoric. Rather than focus on transgender particiption in sports, Dr. Hunt compared cisgender men to cisgender women, dead named Mary Gregory, and mentioned that he and Larry Maile, USAPL President, have been working with Fair Play for Women, a U.K. based anti-transgender organization, to develop a transgender policy. At no time were the results or conclusions of the women’s-only survey sent out by Priscilla Ribic, USAPL Executive Director, mentioned. JayCee Cooper and Rebecca Fox were provided an opportunity to introduce and answer questions related to the proposed policy. While some questions were thoughtful, many were statements opposing transgender inclusion without reason. USAPL has continuously operated in bad faith throughout this process. While we appreciate the offer by Maile to create and include JayCee Cooper on an ad hoc inclusion committee, we question the intention and authenticity behind the offer. We look forward to the coming details. Our proposed policy may not have passed today, but our fight for trans inclusion is not over. Women’s Strength Coalition and Pull for Pride will not stop pushing for a trans affirming and inclusive policy until all are welcome on the platform. #sharetheplatform

A post shared by Pull For Pride (@pullforpride) on May 9, 2019 at 4:34pm PDT

This is a subject that will be Hotly contested for years to come and clearly has no easy answer. Generation Iron will continue to follow this story as news develops.

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